


Uncertainty

by HusbandoGoddess



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Avengers Family, Comfort/Angst, Cussing, Declarations Of Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, Marvel Universe, Mentor Stephen Strange, Minor Tony Stark/Stephen Strange, Reader-Insert, Self-Insert, if you look at one line there is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 14:13:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20341441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HusbandoGoddess/pseuds/HusbandoGoddess
Summary: During one of Tony Stark's parties, Stephen finds himself outside on the balcony thinking to himself. The host himself finds Stephen there and decides to ask what's bothering him.





	Uncertainty

Another Tony Stark party meant another night where Stephen Strange found himself on the balcony in the man’s mansion, watching the night stars as he contemplates a few things.

“Now, is there a reason why the great wizard is out here missing a great time?” Stephen groaned, knowing who that voice belonged to.

“You know I’m not one for parties, Stark. I would prefer to do more productive things with my time,” he replies, not bothering to turn around to meet the billionaire.

“If you wanted to go practice…whatever you do, then why didn’t you? Perhaps…” Tony places himself next to the man and nudges his side. Stephen raises his eyebrows in confusion and looks at the man for the first time since coming to the party. “You had a little someone convince you to come?”

“I have no clue who you might be referring to. If I hadn’t come, you would never let me hear the end of it. The thought alone irritates me.” That’s half a lie. It was true, yes, that if he did decline the invitation from Tony that the man would brag about how great of a time he missed and make references to that only the party-goers would understand. If Stephen asked what Tony was referring to, he would be told, ‘you would only get it if you were at the party.’ However, while that did sound like a _very _good reason to anyone who missed a Tony Stark party, the sorcerer supreme knew that wasn’t the reason. In fact, he knew who Tony was referring to.

“Oh really? I’m flattered! Should I tell [Y/N] that? Do you think she’ll get a little jealous?” Stephen eyes go wide and the grip his wine glass tightens. Bullseye.

“Tell me, why haven’t you made a move? We all see how you both look at each other. Hell, that friend of yours…Wong, right? He won’t stop talking with Wanda and Natty about how annoying it is when you train her.”

**Goddammit Wong_._** Stephen was going to have a lovely chat with him once he gets back to the Sanctum.

He sighs, swirling around the dark red wine in his glass. “I can’t do that. It’s unprofessional, Stark. She’s my student. If word got back to Kamar-Taj, she could be forced to train back there instead of learning from the best.” Stephen looks over his shoulder. In the brightly lit room, he saw you next to the catering table. You and food were inseparable. You always brought a small snack to your sessions, let it be studying the books or putting what you learned from the ancient text into practice.

-  


_“For the last time, a sandwich from the deli isn’t a snack. It’s a meal.” Stephen lectured you as you munched on your favorite sandwich from the deli._

_“Sorry Stephen, I can’t really hear you how loudly I’m chewing this sandwich because it’s so delicious,” you told him, doing your best to cover your mouth so he doesn’t see your mouth full of food. Stephen pinched his nose and let out a deep sigh. You swallowed your food and reached out your sandwich to him. “Want a bite?”_

_“R-Really?! That’s what you got from that? That I want of your sandwich which you already taken several bites of?” You nodded, not really getting why he was so upset about the gesture. “You’re unbelievable. First, you bring a sandwich that leaves crumbs into the study. Next, you hover over a very important book while eating. You do realize that you could damage the book and get in trouble for it?!”_

_“Why not?”_

_“Because I’m not hungry right now. Now, get back to your studying,” Stephen commanded. He went back to reading his own material. _

_“That’s a lie.”_

_He took a quick glance at you to see that you were looking at him, irritated. “What?”_

_“You’re lying. You know what’s unbelievable?” You scooched your chair closer to Stephen and learn forward, making sure you get in his face. “The fact you refused such a great sandwich despite not having eaten all day because you took priority over making sure I train.” You told him a serious tone, which was foreign to him. He’s never seen you…look upset before. “I don’t want you to neglect yourself, especially for my sake. So please…” You offer up the sandwich again, “Eat something.”_

_He looked down at the sandwich and then back at you. There was a pang in his heart. The thought that he made you worry about him pained him. What kind of teacher makes their student worry? Especially as someone as nice as you. You could have given up with arguing with him and went back to your studying. Instead, you called him out on his bullshit. Why did you care so much anyway? _

_“You going to eat this or am I going to have to shove it in your mouth?” You asked._

_Stephen sighed. No need to over-think that. He grabbed your hand, brought the sandwich to his mouth and took a bite. He had to admit, the sandwich’s pretty good. You chuckled, a light pink hue spread across on your cheeks. _

_“Weirdo…” Your amusement brought a slight smile to his face._

_-_

You two ended up sharing the sandwich. You ended up eating the rest of what you had, and Stephen ate the other half of it. Ever since then, you brought snacks only for yourself but also for him. While he refused to eat them during sessions, he had them during breaks and every time he saw you eat, you smiled. That, cute, sweet smile of yours. Just thinking about it made his heart race.

“Wow, she definitely loves you.”

“What makes you so sure of that?”

“No woman ever shares her food with anyone. Food before anyone else with them. The fact she willingly gave you not only a bite of her half of the sandwich but gave you the other half? Yeah, she loves you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, Stark.” Sure, you loved your food but that doesn’t mean you like him.

“What, you think I’m lying? Ask any of the women on the Avengers or Pepper, they’ll all tell you how true that statement is. I know my shit, Stephen. More than you which isn’t saying a lot. I think even our frozen soldier has more game than you.” He points his head back to the room, where the two of them saw you chatting up with Steve. You two were talking about something and whatever he said got you flustered because you looked like you ready to pass out from embarrassment.

“She would be better with someone like him, no? No professional relationship, she doesn’t have to worry about his well-being constantly, and she doesn’t have to act like she’s pulling a tooth when taking him to parties.” Stephen whispers, a touch of sadness in his tone.

“You two are old enough to make your own decisions. Plus, if she didn’t care for you, she wouldn’t care about your well-being or make you come to my great parties.” Stephen rolls his eyes at that last part of the statement. Tony always finds a way to stroke his ego, even if the topic isn’t about him.

“If you aren’t going to make it happen, I guess the amazing match-maker known as Tony Stark will work his magic once more. I’ll be right back wizard, don’t pull a disappearing act with him.” Stephen didn’t have the time to protest as Tony quickly made his way back to the party. Stephen, with the little time he had left, downed the little bit of wine he had to make sure he could get through whatever Tony was planning.

He saw Tony make his way to you, putting his hand on your shoulder. He whispers something into your ear and Stephen wished that there was a spell to read lips. When Tony stops talking, your gaze found him. Stephen waves at you, unsure of what to do in this moment. He could easily run away, which is what his head is screaming at him to do. But he remains in place.

You bid farewell to Steve and begin walking with Tony towards Stephen.

“Stephen, you should have told me you wanted to talk with me. Why did you make Tony do all the work for you?” You ask him when you get to the balcony.

“Well, I’ll let you two talk. Remember to share everything with her Stephen.” Tony smirked and walked away. Great.

“So, what’s up?” You ask, leaning your chest onto the balcony. “Do you want to go home or something? You don’t need to ask for my permission if that’s it.”

Stephen doesn’t say anything. Instead, he just stands there, looking at the night sky instead of meeting your gaze. How is supposed to say he likes you? As much as he wants to say it, there’s this wall of hesitation blocking the words from coming out.

“Remember a few months ago when I got really upset about not being able to learn…what was that spell?”

Stephen chuckles. He knew you were doing that on purpose to break the tension. “The Sapphire Bands of Storaan?”

“Yeah! The Sapphire Bands of Storaan! Anyway, do you remember what happened on that day?

How could he forget? That memory was burnt inside his head.

—

_“[Y/N], I think we should stop for today. You’re not well.”_

_This training session lasted longer than it was supposed to. The two of you started working on a brand-new spell you’ve read about in one of the ancient texts at noon. Now, the sun has fully set and still, no progress has been made. Every time you tried to summon the blue ribbons, they would end up fizzing out in a matter of seconds. As time went on, failed attempt after another, you started growing more and more frustrated. The multiple tries at trying to perform took a toll on you._

_“N-no! I’m fine! Just…please let me try again!” You begged him. Without even waiting his permission, you tried to the Sapphire Bands of Storaan again. Like the hundreds of attempts before, the mystical energy fizzed out. “Goddammit!” You fell to your needs, taking in deep, ragged breathes. “Goddammit goddammit goddammit!” You slammed your fists onto the hard flooring of the meditation chamber after each word. “Why can’t I do one of the simplest spells there is!?”_

_Stephen took a step towards you, reaching out a hand. “It’s not-”_

_“Don’t even try to bullshit me saying it’s not! You even said that it was when I first started learning it. Why can’t I get it then?” You shouted at him. Stunned, Stephen recoiled his hand and took a step back. “What’s the point?” You asked, sounding tired. “If I can’t do this, why even try anymore? Huh, Stephen? Why…why am I such a failure? Why can’t I do anything fucking right?” The pain he heard in your voice made him feel like he was just stabbed in the heart. It reminded him how he felt when he woke up after his accident. All the pain he felt._

_He felt like he lost everything. He lost Christine, his only line of support because he was too much of an asshole to everyone else, he met. He lost his job. He lost his hands, the very things that made him who he was. He went from being a renowned surgeon to…nothing. Now, here he is, seeing a reflection of himself from back then. _

_Your soft sniffles turned into loud, violent sobs echo in the chamber. No longer able to take the aching pain in his chest, Stephen fell onto his knees and pulled you into a tight embrace. You held onto him like he was the only thing on Earth. Stephen didn’t mind your muffled tears being soaked into his robes. He could always tend to them later but right now, you needed attention. The feeling of being held and not being judged for getting emotional was…nice. Therapeutic._

_“You’re anything but a failure, okay? The Mystic Arts isn’t easy by any stretch, but I know you’ll be able to get it, okay?” Stephen whispered and rubbed your back as he talked. “It’s not easy to not doubt yourself but trust me when I say that you have the potential to become an amazing sorcerer. Okay?” You nodded._

_Eventually, you stopped crying but the two of you still held each other. “Will you be okay?” Stephen asked._

_“Yeah…Yeah, I think so.” You looked up at him and gave him a tired, weak smile. _

_Stephen looked into your eyes. There was a tiny bit of life back in them again. “Make sure you get some rest, okay? Maybe tomorrow, we can go out to the deli. I know Wong has been nagging at me to go.” You chuckle at his remark. _

_“That sounds nice, Stephen.”_

_—_

“Of course, I do.” Stephen says.

“I want you be able to comfort you like how you did with me. But, I can’t if you don’t talk to me.” Stephen sighs, and glances your way. You’re staring at him expectantly.

“Have you ever had trouble telling someone you that you like them?” At his question, your eyes widen.

“You like someone? Am I hearing that correctly?” Stephen nods and you smile. “That’s great! But, what’s the issue?”

“It’s like we’re worlds apart, if that makes sense.” Stephen pauses to think of what to say next. “I want to tell them how their existence brings me joy. That I’m happy they call me out for my bullshit because it gives me the push to better myself. People don’t do often because I can be standoffish. For fuck’s sake…” Stephen knew he couldn’t just say they, as if you couldn’t piece together the clues. You aren’t dumb. As far as you knew, Stephen didn’t have many friends and only a couple of them were female like Wanda, but she was already happily taken. He spent so much of his time with you that realistically, he had no time in between teaching and being one of Earth’s defenders to meet someone.

“It’s you. I have feelings for you.” Stephen admits, his hands shaking. “I like that you’re concerned for my well-being. That day when you forced me to eat, I was…happy to know that you cared. But, you’re so much better than me. You’re not anti-social. You’re always dragging me out when we have the time, making me experience new things and meet some of your friends. You’re so nice and sweet and…well, I don’t think I am those things. Plus, I’m your master and I don’t want anything to happen to you if-”

“Stephen,” You take away his wine glass, which is almost empty from all the shaking his hands have been doing and put it on the ledge of the balcony. Then, you grab his hands. “Breathe.”

And he does just that. The shaking in his hands subsides. For a moment, the two of you just look into each other’s eyes and hand in hand.

“Stephen, I like you too. I’m…really surprised you got so worked up, acting like I didn’t feel the same way? I mean, I offered you my sandwich. Isn’t that like a declaration of love right there?”

Tony’s words echoed in Stephen’s head and for the hundredth time in his life, he hated that the man was right, and he wasn’t. If word got back to Tony about this, Stephen knew that the man wouldn’t let this down.

“Anyway, you’re a good person. I’m glad I can be myself around you. You were there for me when I was at one of my lowest points and you stopped me from giving up. You give me this level of confidence that I can actually succeed and seeing you protect this realm as much as you do…well, it’s admirable and I want to be like that someday.” You confess to him. Stephen’s cheeks have turned bright pink and he isn’t sure about what to do about his heart suddenly picking up in pace.

“And I know, we’re student and teacher but we’re both adults. You’re not some high school teacher or college professor trying to get together with their student. Now, that would be weird and I’m happy that isn’t the case. So,” you squeeze his hands. “How about we give this a try?”

“I would love that.” Stephen, for the first time tonight, smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> It's been two months since I last wrote something and trust me, I hate myself for it! I have so many ideas but every time I get to writing them out, I get really nervous about the execution. Questions like, "Is this a good enough scene?" and "Does this sound like a little kid wrote this?" I'm unsure about a lot of things when it comes to my writing even though I enjoy doing it and Hell, it's my major in college. 
> 
> I sent the rough draft to my friends and besides typos, it seemed like they liked it.
> 
> Anyway, college is coming back into full-swing in a about two weeks so I've been really pre-occupied with streaming on Twitch. *Cough* https://www.twitch.tv/husbandogoddess *cough* So, I'm not sure how much I will be writing but I hope the next story I do eventually publish will be better than my previous works. Which are two, this one and my previous Strange fanfic.


End file.
